General

TANF Block Grant At Twenty

Monday, August 22 represents something of an anniversary.  It will be twenty years since the enactment of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, PL 104-193, more commonly referred to as “TANF.”  TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) converted the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program, which had provided an

CWLA Endorses Bill to Coordinate Juvenile Justice-Child Welfare Link

On Wednesday, July 13 a bipartisan bill was introduced by Senator Gary Peters (D-MI) and Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA) to encourage coordination between state child welfare and juvenile justice systems in addressing the needs of vulnerable youth caught between the two systems. The Childhood Outcomes Need New Efficient Community Teams (Connect Act) would authorize grants

House Committee Adopts Labor-HHS Bill—Next Step CR & November

On Wednesday the House Appropriations Committee Approved a bill that would fund the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services and Education (Labor-HHS).  The bill and committee report reduces spending below current year funding and attaches a number of provisions the President would reject. Overall the bill provides $161.6 billion which is a cut of

New Evidence On Effectiveness Of Teen Pregnancy Prevention

On Friday the Office on Adolescent Health (OAH) released the results of 41 rigorous evaluations on the effectiveness of teen pregnancy prevention programs.  The studies, 90 percent of which were randomized controlled trials between 2010 through 2015, is expected to offer a significant contribution to the field’s knowledge of where, when, and with whom programs

Families First Status Discussions Continue

Holding Pattern in Senate Last week efforts to adopt the House version of the Family First Prevention Services Act, (HR 5456) (Conference Report 114-628) continued but success has stalled—at least temporarily.  By week’s end the only thing that was clear is that they had not yet reached unanimous support for the bill and passing it. 

Coalition Launches Effort to Assist Homeless Youth Avoid JJ

The Coalition on Juvenile Justice has launched Collaborating for Change: Addressing Youth Homelessness and Juvenile Justice, a project with two main goals: to decrease the likelihood that homeless youth become involved with the juvenile justice system; and to prevent youth homelessness among justice-involved youth. The project is a collaboration between the Coalition and with project partners, the National

Children’s Budget Review Includes Passionate Call To Address Violence

On Thursday, July 7, First Focus conducted their annual Children’s Budget Summit and released their new Children’s Budget 2016 book but it may have been the keynote remarks that captured the moment. New York Times columnist, Charles Blow reflected on the fresh news of a second shooting in as many days of a black man

House Subcommittee Approves Labor-HHS Bill

On Thursday the House Subcommittee on Appropriations for the Department of Labor, Health and Human Services and Education (Labor-HHS) approved a bill that reduces spending below current year funding and attaches a number of provisions the President would reject. Overall the bill provides $161.6 billion which is a cut of $569 million below this year. 

House Passes Families First Child Welfare Bill, Senate Next Up

Bill Passes House Before House action came to a halt in response to a gun-control sit-down protest, the House of Representatives passed the Family First Prevention Services Act, (HR 5456) by a voice vote. The legislation was taken up on Tuesday, June 21 as part of the House suspension calendar which is a House method

House Extends TANF, Social Impact Bonds

Shortly before adopting the Family First Prevention Services Act, HR 5456, they passed a one-year extension of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant.  The TANF law is set to expire under its current one-year extension.  The extension was a part of the larger bill, the Social Impact Partnership to Pay for Success

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